3 Minutes of Fame and Glory – Terrified to Addiction
My very first Aerial Dance show performance. I was so scared and nervous to take the stage, as most of us are our first time. But for me I just had to make it worse by becoming Darth Maul. I painted my face and even wore colored contacts for the first time. I don’t recommend doing anything for the first time on show day. Always practice everything including the routine in your makeup and outfit. Honestly, it’s one thing to be nervous to go on stage but to specifically make yourself stand out was something else because as soon as people saw my face paint I knew I was going to be the center of attention. It wasn’t until after the show that I realized I thrive on the feeling. I think I took a bit of inspiration from Yoda’s quote “Do or do not. There is no try.” This quote is a simple lesson in commitment and the power in giving something our absolute all. Do not just try it, give it everything you’ve got and don’t give up until you’ve succeeded. I had to learn moves above my current level for this routine, but I didn’t shy away from them. I put myself to the test and worked so hard to get them because our instructor believed in us and it’s always easier to believe in yourself once someone else has believed in you first. To calm my nerves I was making lots of jokes and taking lots of photos cuz I mean Darth Maul eating chicken wings?! Darth Maul putting on fake eyelashes?! That’s pretty funny in my eyes! Overall though, the most helpful was my fellow performers, my Aerial Dance friends. Because many of them had done this before they had so many great tips and were great at reassuring me everything was going to be epic. “The only way the audience will know or care if you mess up is if you run off the stage mid performance”. In the end, the performance on that stage in front of a huge crowd was actually our best performance. Of all the run-throughs in dress rehearsal and the months of practice, show day was the best and I left that stage feeling like a million bucks. The adrenaline rush and the feeling of “We did it!” quickly became an addiction and I could not wait to sign up for the next show! Performing has really become one of my favorite things about Aerial Dance even though I was so scared in the beginning I almost didn’t do it. I am so glad I did sign up because we will never know our greatest passions if we just never step out of our comfort zone and try! Students at Aerial Dance have many opportunities to perform! Become a student today and join us on stage!Not sure what classes to take? Try Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial!
I am a Dancer!
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a dancer. In fact, I dreamed of finding anything I was good at physically. I played every sport in elementary school through high school, but none of them was really my “thing.” For some reason though, dance was always in the back of my mind. Maybe it was the costumes. Perhaps it was the floaty, dreamlike feeling I got when I watched performances. Full disclosure though, I think it was just my admiration for an older cousin of mine (who was a phenomenal dancer). I wanted to be just like her: athletic, beautiful, and kind. At three years old, my mom signed me up for a gymnastics class and a kiddie tap/ballet class. I had only one recital and then it was no more. I think my mom decided that the cost of studio time combined with driving an hour to classes far outweighed any potential I would ever have. While this sounds kind of harsh, I don’t blame her for thinking that. For one, I did miss the cue to change from the starting position (which was in a ball, on the ground) to the actual dancing part of my one and only recital I had as a child. Somewhere video evidence of this still exists. And in addition to that, I’ve always been terrified to do anything in front of crowds. What’s funny though is that I remember swinging around a pole that was in my grandparents’ basement. I was probably no more than ten years old at the time. Of course, it was just a structural support beam, but still. That didn’t matter to me. Then, in 2019, I danced in my first show with Aerial Dance. It sounds corny, but that day changed the trajectory of my life. I was extremely nervous – I was dancing with someone who, prior to deciding we would do our number together, I had never even met. Naturally we spent months preparing and practicing. I spent literal months worrying about this performance. Eventually though, there comes a point before a performance when you’re as ready as you’re ever going to be. Leading up to the performance I was a wreck, until the moment I stepped on the stage. And then something happened. It all disappeared. All the fear and the nerves and the stomach churning just disappeared. After our number, I spent the rest of the show sobbing (to the point where my false eyelashes all but disintegrated). Not because I screwed up or choked and ran off stage, but because I was so proud. Until then I had never felt like that in my whole entire life. From then on I was hooked. Being a student at Aerial Dance has given me so much. Confidence, social time, body positivity, and a hobby are all on the list, but there’s more. I now can say, with pride, something that I wanted to be able to say for my whole life: I am a dancer. Students at Aerial Dance have many opportunities to perform! Become a student today and join us on stage!Not sure what classes to take? Try Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial!
